Welcome to the jungle. We take it day by day. If you want it, you’re gonna bleed. But. it’s the price to pay…
~~ “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns ‘N’ Roses

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my friends in other countries, states, and cities, it’s that there really is no place like Los Angeles. Sure, there are the hallmarks of urban living that can be found in pretty much any major city anywhere. And, I’m sure every other city could have the same said of it. But, you set foot in Los Angeles and there’s just a spirit to the city that you can’t find anywhere else.

People talk about East Coast/West Coast bias or rivalries and I’ve had conversations with people from outside the U.S. who just can’t seem to understand that there are very different ways of life between the two. It’s not just a fiction or something for comedians to poke fun at when they need something other than race or gender or class to fall back on. There are very definitely things we do and think on the West Coast that sound insane to people from the East Coast and vice versa. Having run a number of RPG scenarios in which the characters were from L.A. or in L.A., I’ve had more than one occasion to explain the way Angelenos think to people who’ve never been here or only visited the main tourist areas, which are as much the “real” Los Angeles as Times Square is the “real” New York City. It’s always an interesting conversation.

I drive on her streets, ’cause she’s my companion. I walk through her hills, ’cause she knows who I am. She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy…
~~ “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

So, it always amuses me when I read stories and descriptions of Los Angeles written by people from other cities. Sometimes, they’re way off the mark, like the one NCIS: Los Angeles fanfic I read a couple of years ago that talked about Callen driving so fast Hetty would have his head and speeding past most of the other drivers on the freeway…then gave his speed as 70mph. Average speed limit on L.A. freeways is 65mph and if you do less than 70mph when there’s no real traffic, stay in the slow lane because most people consider the speed limit to be the minimum, not the maximum, regardless of legalities. So, unless Hetty’s a stuffy old bat (unlikely, given her own driving habits and the vehicles she owns), she’s not going to bat an eye at Callen’s speed. Well, unless it’s to tease him for driving like an old fogey!

Have you ever owned a sim in Second Life? – Technically, no. I rented a homestead sim in Caledon for a time. But, that’s as close as I’ve come.

Have you ever created content in Second Life? – I made some simple little lanterns to light my rezday party one year. But, in general, I don’t create much.

Have you ever driven a vehicle in Second Life? – Yes! I have a cute little steampunk motorboat that I occasionally tool around the Caledon coast in. And I found a vintage bicycle in my inventory during a recent clean-up that I’m looking to try out soon.

Have you ever gone sky diving in Second Life? – Not officially. LOL I’m sure falling 1200 feet from my skybox does not count.

Have you ever played a sport in Second Life? – Nope

Have you ever gone clubbing in Second Life? – A little bit. But, I have the world’s worst internet connection for Second Life and clubs tend to be too crowded for me to stay for long. It’s hard enough getting to the special event balls in the various realms where I spend most of my time.

Have you ever fangirled/fanboyed someone in Second Life? – Nope

Have you ever taken a picture of your avatar in water in Second Life? – Can’t say that I have. At least, none that I recall.

Have you ever taken a picture of a sunset in Second Life? – At sunset, yes. Of the sunset specifically, no.

Have you ever taken a nude picture of your avatar in Second Life? – Nope. Hasn’t actually ever crossed my mind to do so.

Have you ever dated in Second Life? – Again, nope.

Have you ever had or attended a wedding in Second Life? – Nope.

Have you ever drank, smoked or taken drugs in Second Life? – Again, has never even crossed my mind as something to do.

Have you ever engaged in sexual activity in Second Life? – Nope.

Have you ever been to Bukkake Bliss in Second Life? – Nope. Not even sure what that is. LOL

It seems I spoke too soon last week when I said I was thankful I wasn’t any sicker than I was at the time. Literally that same night I got home from work and crashed for two days with the worst cold I’ve had in a long time. Took two days off work and I’m still dealing with exhausting coughing fits. Of course, that’s put me behind on several things as I play catch-up, including my NaBloPoMo posts.

I’m going to combine a couple of the prompts for this post as they are along the same theme and I might do this for other prompts, as well, since I’ve missed so many posts. The prompts I’m addressing today, however, are:

What is your favourite thing to make for dinner?

Tell us about a dish you attempted to make that ended in disaster. Have you ever re-attempted the meal?

Have you ever made up your own recipe? Tell us about it.

To be honest, I’d say 85% of what I cook is essentially my own made up recipe. My style of cooking is usually to open the refrigerator and see what’s in there. Then, I usually just throw things together that sound good…or interesting.

Friends who have known me since high school will recognize the technique.

Pasta Experiment Fridays.

Yep. I’m pretty sure that’s where this style originated…or at least where I honed the process (and my palette).

During my later years of high school and first year of college, I would have a bunch of friends over to the house all the time. I don’t even remember how it started, but I eventually fell into a habit I called Pasta Experiment Fridays. It might have originated from a conversation about the fact that I would toss literally anything into a bowl of pasta because pasta is generally so forgiving as flavors go. However it began, the general gist of things was that I would have any friends who wanted to join us come over on Friday afternoons and I would cook pasta. The catch was that the pasta could be part of anything. I might throw spaghetti sauce on it or I might empty the spice cupboard into a vinaigrette for it. I might throw in crumbled ground beef and tomatoes, or chop up whatever veggies and cheese I could find.

My 2015-self wearing the clothes and hair I bought on my first day in world.

On February 14, 2008, I discovered Second Life, this quirky little game that wasn’t really a game. I’d been laid up, sick in bed, for a while. I was bored and intrigued. Now, I had a very different first experience than the average user did back then, even than many do today, I’m sure. I had a friend from the Harry Potter RPG I was playing at the time who very graciously took the time to show me around. She generously gave me some Linden dollars to get started and then took me to Evie’s Closet and Panache, where I purchased some clothes and hair to make a better avatar than the usual newbie avatar of 2008. Then she took me to the sim she and her wife were putting together and we talked about the creative possibilities in world.

I still have those outfits and hair. Still wear them, too.

In my early days of Second Life, I was very enthusiastic about all those creative opportunities. I want to build and texture and sell my creations and form a community and…then my first life changed. I switched jobs, though not companies. I started toying with the idea of writing fiction for profit. Mostly I simply didn’t have the time and,while I had some friends at the start who were just as enthusiastic, eventually they all moved on to other things and left second life as well.

In the fall of 2008, I ventured back in world and that was when I discovered my home away from home in the Steamlands.

For the next year and a half, I lived on my little island of Caledon Westmoreland and managed the Westmoreland Nature Preserve. Then I had to leave again due to financial issues that wouldn’t let me keep my little duchy. While I kept in touch with a few people through other social media and blogs, eventually, when I had the finances again, I had to come back because I missed the community I’d found here.

Not entirely happy with how this came out, but it’s still pretty and sparkly, which was what I wanted.

Only one photo of this week’s challenge manicure. The light in my office was very anti-sparkle the day I took them and I had to do some clean-up on this one just to make it viable. I suppose, if I was going to be a serious nail blogger, I would get together a better photography set-up. But, I’m not that dedicated and it’s unlikely I ever dedicate this blog to one single topic. I have too much to say on too many things. ;-)

Anyway, this week’s themes were Hearts and Purple. I’ve opted to do both and combine them into one manicure this round. Mostly, I was just thrilled for an excuse to use this new Pixie Dust polish from Zoya. I just got it and I’m in love!

This is Zoya Pixie Dust in Thea, from the winter 2014 collection. I just got it as part of a special deal Zoya offered on their website last month that offered three free polishes if you bought three. With standard shipping, the polish only arrived a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure the other colors I purchased, as well as the three free ones, will show up in future challenge posts.

While most of the polishes I used for this happened to be Zoya shades, the rest are old ones that have appeared in other manicures.

For the accent nails, I used a base of Zoya’s Jamie, a lovely romantic pale pink shade that I really just had to have because it’s my name. LOL It takes me two to three coats to get this level of opacity with Jamie because it’s a lovely sheer. I then put a coat of Zoya’s Sparkle Gloss for just a hint of sparkle that doesn’t really show up well in this image. Then I used Model’s Own Artstix in Silver to draw on the hearts. The silver color didn’t really pop enough against the pale pink, though. So, I dry brushed a bit of Queen of Evil from Sincerely Polish over it. I do really like the texture effect that created, even if I think I could have done better if it wasn’t a fix-it.

Okay, so the first thing to remember when signing up for something like NaBloPoMo? Check when the start date is! LOL If it’s on a day when you know there’s an event that is going to take your entire focus, prewrite a post and schedule it to go up while you’re painting your nails and hanging out on social media to cheer on your team!

Yes, I got so wrapped up in Super Bowl that I forgot yesterday was the start of February. (Super Bowl Sunday needs no official date! LOL)

The theme for NaBloPoMo this month is ‘Make’ and there will be future posts from me that are on theme.

But, as I’m playing catch-up , today you get a new Monday Matters after the cut.

For those who may be new to the blog, Monday Matters is my weekly run through of positive things in my life. It’s inspired by the old (and now defunct) Participation Positives from ten or twelve years ago.

Okay, so what are the positive things in my head today?

Let’s start with my boys. My team. My Pats! Super Bowl champions! The game may have started out slow and uneventful. But, that second half? That fourth quarter? THOSE LAST TWO AND A HALF MINUTES?! Simply amazing.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier valentines. Yes, the cheap little cards kids take to school for their class. I’m not passing them out, but they’ll make an amusing decorating theme for my cubicle. Don’t judge me. I know I’m insane. ;-P

I can still talk. My sinuses started acting up yesterday and this morning I woke up with the sore throat from Hell. So, I’m really glad that it seems to be mostly cleared up right now. Soup and oranges for dinner tonight, I think, though. Early to bed. I really don’t want to use sick time so early in the year.

Finally, in honor of the Super Bowl, with my Patriots playing, I did a quickie manicure to show some pride. The #TeamEvans hashtag is included along with some obvious Captain America inspiration to show support for the bet between Chris Evans and Chris Pratt, otherwise known as#Twitterbowl.

For those who are unaware, the two Marvel stars made a bet on the game, each forfeiting a visit to the children’s charity of the other’s choice…in costume and bearing the colors of the opposing team. Chris Pratt set the stakes that Evans would make an appearance at Seattle Children’s Hospital dressed as Cap and bearing the 12th Man flag of the Seattle Seahawks should the Seahawks win. For his part, Chris Evans determined that, should the Patriots win, Pratt would make an appearance at Christopher’s Haven in Boston, dressed as Starlord wearing a Tom Brady jersey. Read the rest of this entry »

So, since I made mention of the prompt for this week’s #52WPMC, let me share that with you.

The design challenge for this week is ‘Fishtail’. Basically, it’s a pattern that looks like a fishtail braid painted on your nail. I’ve never done one of these before. But, it turned out to be pretty easy to do. It’s really just a series of alternating diagonal stripes down the length of the nail.

I call this the Candy Fishtail because the colors I used come across as rather candy-colored, especially with the holos.

This was also a good excuse for me to use some colors I bought back in October and haven’t had a chance to get to, yet. All three colors come from Glam Polish as part of the Welcome to Storeybrooke Collection.

The collection was inspired by the television series Once Upon a Time (OUAT). I’m a huge fan of Jefferson, the Mad Hatter (played by Sebastian Stan), as anyone who’s ever talked to me about the show will know. I miss the character, but I’m SO GLAD they didn’t recast the role for the spin-off or OUAT itself. He nailed it. But, given that, it was pretty much a guarantee that I would be getting Hat Trick from the collection, which is this great duotone holo that shifts between violet and umber shades.

While buying Hat Trick for my birthday gift to myself, I also fell in love with A Land Without Magic, a bright turquoise holo, and Red Handed, a hot pink holo named for Red Riding Hood.

I make a lot of plans to write things, I have a list of blog post ideas that I want to write. But, do you see me writing anything? NOPE! So, if the next few posts are short and seeming nonsense, it’s because I’m trying to at least get back into the habit of writing and then I can start writing some more thoughtful posts as I get back in the habit.

That’s really the theme for me this year. I need to get organized, find a way to manage time better, and get things done instead of just talking about them. So, a lot of things may seem even crazier as I find what works for me. (Because we all know how much I truly suck at these things outside of the office.)

In any case, if you’re interested in some rambling thoughts, feel free to click through the cut for more.

First things, for those of you who are still unaware, my Second Life blog has been integrated with this one and the old domain (livingoutsidethelines.net) no longer works.

It’s actually been awhile since I’ve been in world. I got in quite a bit during the holidays when I was feeling crappy and had no energy to do much of anything. But, since going back to work, I haven’t gotten in much. I should try and do that soon. Spring will be coming to Caledon and I need to take down some holiday things.

Yep, pretty sure I only get in world when I want to redecorate. lol

I’ve totally failed at #52WPNMC. Even when I’ve done them, I haven’t had time to take photos of the manicures or put them up. I think I’ll start up a photo gallery to put them all in and everyone can catch up there. I actually did this week’s challenge: Fishtail braid. Even gave me a chance to use three of my untrieds that I haven’t touched since buying them for my birthday. But, I did it over my lunch hour and need to clean up the edges before taking pictures. So, we’ll see if that one gets up, either. LOL

Last year I kicked in some money for a kickstarter campaign ravenna-c-tan was running to get some of her original work published. Just before the holidays, I got my copies of the first two omnibus editions of Daron’s Guitar Chronicles in the mail. I’ve nearly finished it, now, after picking up the first one up a couple weeks ago (finally!). Talk about flashbacks. So many thoughts getting dug up in my head about the people I knew in high school and music and taking even the small exposure I’ve had to that world into my life now.

I’d read all five books (Hobbit, Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Silmarillion) multiple times by the time the first movie came out in 2001. Tolkien, Lewis, Montgomery, MacDonald, Weiss & Hickman, Springer, Kurtz…these were the names of the creators of worlds that have shaped my imagination for almost four decades. Despite any other interests or fandoms, these are the main ones who have been a constant through all the years. Come Yule this weekend, I’ll embark on a journey through Middle Earth once again. How ironic was it that the films first were released at the same time of year I always reread the books?

But, the original trilogy of movies captured me in a way nothing really has since. Not Potter. Not NCIS. Not Marvel. Although, Captain America and Winter Soldier, perhaps, come the closest. The Narnia movies were close, but I knew they’d never continue once the stories became more allegorical. Too many people find it impossible to enjoy a story for itself and leave the allegory to those who appreciate it and Christianity has been very unpopular in recent years (says the pagan witch whose religion most people still don’t think is a real one! LOL)

Lord of the Rings, though?

Well, anyone who’s read the early days of my LiveJournal knows how ensnared I was by Peter Jackson’s interpretation of that world. Whether it was age, the state of the world, the circumstances of life, all three coming together in a unique conjunction of influences, those movies sparked a well of creativity inside myself that I have sorely missed.

Though I have not gotten back into the fandom with the release of the Hobbit trilogy, I can feel a more subtle variant of that same spark struggling to reawaken. The nail art, a recent bout of Christmas card making, the baking spats, I wonder if all of these are my subconscious reaction to the lack of that spark?

Not that I haven’t been creating. But, I have done little of the visual work in collage and crafting that has always balanced my written works.

Then I saw this video for the song Billy Boyd will perform, I assume over the credits, for this last movie and my heart broke a little bit.

It’s the end of an era. By the time the Deathly Hallows movies came around, I was happy to be well shot of that world, disappointment in the last two books weighing heavily on my enjoyment of the films. Though I’ve seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier multiple times in the theatre, it still doesn’t even come close to the least amount of times I’ve seen one of the original three movies, let alone all three.

But, this is the last farewell. There will be no more. And this time, I’m not ready to let go.

Ancient legends speak of two opposing forces: light and dark, often represented in the faerie courts of old. The seelie court, court of light and order, rules over the land through the brightest parts of the year. But, as summer wanes and the harvest times come to an end, then the unseelie court rises, the court of darkness and chaos. It is at Samhain, the end of the old year, as the world settles in to winter and remembering, that the veil between this world and the next is at it’s thinnest.

Is this why the spirits have become active at Birchwood House? I can only guess. But, the investigations continue.

Walking into the parlor one morning, I found tea was already served.

The ritual room continues to be a center for unexplained activity.

For several weeks now, strange noises, bumps, and creakings have been heard originating in the study.

As these first images show, the strange phenomena has increased throughout the house. Objects have been moved, or are seen to be floating in midair as if in the possession of invisible hands.

I have come to believe there are at least two entities about the house. One is a man whose voice can be heard most distinctly in the upstairs study. Whisperings and bumps can be heard at all times of the day. But, futher contact has been elusive. The second spirit, however, has made herself known quite dramatically as the weeks have rolled on steadily.

What began as glimpses of shadows and myst-like shapes out of the corner of my eye, or within the camera’s film, have turned into physical manifestations of a frightening apparition. Read the rest of this entry »

It started small at first: a door left open that I thought was closed, a bath fully drawn when no one was home. Occasionally I would hear footsteps in the house when I was alone, phantom voices speaking while I worked. As the frequency of these occurrences increased, I could only come to one conclusion:

Birchwood House is haunted.

The spectral residents of the house have made their presence known, but not their identity.

During the month of June, I endeavored to capture some evidence of their spectral presence on film. Being possessed — isn’t that an odd choice of phrase? — of only one camera, I was forced to relocate periodically to capture record of most of the activity. Still, by spending an hour or two a night in each post, I was able to gather some evidence in each of the most active parts of the house: the upper hallway, the dining room, and the kitchen.

While staking out the upper hall, these misty forms were seen floating about.

This spirit mist seemed almost ready to coalesce before disappearing once again.

This dark shadow was caught on camera as it emerged from the study.

This ghostly mist was caught hovering over a fully drawn bath in the middle of the night!

Evidence of poltergeist activity in the dining room

Despite my efforts to identify these spirits, they have remained ever elusive. In the last few weeks, however, activity has picked up once again, to a level that the spiritual mists are now visible to the naked eye during the daytime. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s in the air. A subtle shift on the wind, a teasing scent that says Summer’s over. The green leaves of July have turned into a riotous inferno of reds and oranges and golds. Even the sky itself seem a little more gilded, bringing a crisp edge to the soft breeze. It’s a time of reflection and renewal, the world preparing for it’s annual sleep, to rise again in beauty come spring.

And the weary traveler returns home…

Taking in the view from my backyard

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I last wrote here. It’s not even that I haven’t been in world, but I just haven’t done much that seemed to merit writing. I’m feeling the urge again, however.

So, what have I been doing? Just sort of exploring a bit. About this time last year I got in touch with Des about returning to Caledon. I waited for a few months after my return just to make sure I wasn’t going to end up disappearing again. But, of all the things I’d missed in Second Life since 2010, it was the community in Caledon.

Some things have changed, of course. Hard for them not to. Some people have come and gone, borders have changed. But, at it’s core, there’s still the same essence.

I’m living in Oxbridge Village now, a full Duchy being slightly out of my price range these days. But, in a way, I think I like living among people instead of on my solitary little island as I did at Westmoreland. At any given time, there are people moving around the neighborhood, I’ve had some pleasant conversations with some of the new residents coming out of Oxbridge proper to explore. And it’s still a quiet spot to simply be when I need to be.

I think, this time, I’m listening to what the universe is trying to tell me. When I first found Caledon it was in October. When I was drawn back again, it was October. Now, this October I’m feeling that urge to get out more and explore, share.

Been a while since I’ve done one of these. Been a while since I wrote regularly, too. lol Still working on finding the time to do that again. Need to get more organized about things in general, I think. Or get some rest! heh. Haven’t had a real break from things since…December?

Anyway, starting the week on a positive note:

Seaside Highland Games this past weekend. Beautiful weather, lovely music, old friends. Just a great time all around, despite the migraine that came with me.

While at the Games, met a lovely woman who was selling her first book. Picked up a copy to read on the bus (of course!), but really was charmed by the author, whether I end up ultimately liking the book or not. It was just nice to meet such a pleasant, caring woman.

VACATION! My usual vacation for my birthday and Halloween is coming up in ten days. I have a few things to do, but mostly, I just want to chill as much as I can.

Getting myself a new phone. It’s not a total positive, since it’s now literally impossible to get a smart phone with a hard keyboard without a contract for a price I can afford. But, it’s still an upgrade and my current phone has outgrown my needs (also, I’m pretty sure I’ve semi-bricked it. oops).

For starters, I’m just going to go out on a limb and suggest that Facebook is annoying. I applied to join the Facebook group for this challenge awhile back and never got a notice from Facebook when the request was approved. So, I totally missed out on the first week’s prompts. *pouts* I may try and get to them later. But, I haven’t even had time to touch my nails for a month before now. So, I won’t hold my breath. LOL

Anyway, the way the challenge works is each week there’s a pattern prompt and a color prompt and you can choose to do one or both or put them together. I’m likely to only get to one manicure a week, per usual. But, I wanted to try something that would make me stretch my skills a bit, since I’m still learning some of the more advanced tricks.

This week’s pattern challenge was a three-color gradient. And, since I had a handful of fall colors just sitting around waiting to be tried, it was a good time to go with a fall theme. :-)

I actually took the pictures a couple days ago, but this is my first chance getting to post them. It was funny because my coworker looked at me and said “Oh! Your nails look like candy corn! Did you do that on purpose?” LOL Nope, totally random…uh, not.

The colors I used were Zoya’s Purity for the white, Cheeky Chops by Butter London for the yellow, and finishing with Motivated by Formula X for Sephora as the orange. Motivated didn’t want to blend quite as nicely as the other two, so there’s a sort of stippling effect. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing my report from the June symposium at the Planes of Fame Museum featuring six veteran fighter pilots who had flown the P-47 Thunderbolt during the World War II: five who fought in the European Theatre and one who was in the Pacific Theatre. The stories of all the men were entertaining, educational, and enlightening. After listening to these men speak, it became clearer why theirs is known as the greatest generation.

Yesterday I wrote about Lieutenant Colonel Robert Friend, who flew with the Tuskegee Airmen using all 6,000 feet of runway they were given; Lieutenant Colonel Sandy Ross, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in saving the life of his squadron leader during a dogfight; and Lieutenant Martin Engler who crash landed into the middle of a tank battle.

Lt. Preston never saw a German fighter plane in all of his 47 missions as his missions generally consisted of bombing and strafing runs. During these missions, he was shot down two times. Both times he was hit in the oil cooler.

The first time, oil got underneath and into the turbo, started smoking, then caught fire. Checking his landing, the ground below Lt. Preston was full of German soldiers. So, he flew around until he saw a bit of land near a forest. There was a cow on the path near where he wanted to land and just said “Cow don’t move! Stay where you’re at!”

Jumping out of the plane, he saw a hill, tress, and a town. When he went to look over the hill, however, he saw a German convoy. “Not the place to hide, I thought.”

Lt. Preston went back toward his plane and got next to a river to check the map they were all supposed to be given in their escape kit. But, before he could, he heard someone speaking French behind him. Turning, he saw a guy wearing a Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur (FFI) armband and holding a shotgun. Without a word, he gave Lt. Preston the shotgun and walked him to the town.

In the town, the people cheered and took Lt. Preston to the bar where they gave him a cognac. On the house.

“Here I am, the first American in this town,” he thought. “Pretty soon a bunch of GIs are gonna drink everything in sight I should get some stuff now for later.”

But, every time he tried to negotiate for a few bottles of something, the barkeep just gave him another cognac on the house.

This is a personal blog written and edited by JL (a.k.a. Kirasha). Esoteric Renaissance is not affiliated with any company, organization, or studio mentioned herein. All views expressed herein are my own or the personal beliefs of those invited to write guest posts.

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